Active shooter response drone

ABSTRACT

An active shooter response system is disclosed. The system utilizes a system of sensors and drones which may receive data at a base station. The base station may centrally process the data from the drones and the sensors so that a coordinated attack on the active shooter can be formulated either automatically without human intervention or manually at the base station by an operator of the system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefits of U.S. Prov. Pat. App. Ser. No.62/717,478, filed on Aug. 10, 2018, U.S. Prov. Pat. App. Ser. No.62/725,551, filed on Aug. 31, 2018, U.S. Prov. Pat. App. Ser. No.62/749,573, filed on Oct. 23, 2018 and U.S. Prov. Pat. App. Ser. No.62/835,378, filed on Apr. 17, 2019, the entire contents of which areexpressly incorporated herein by reference.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND

The various embodiments and aspects disclosed herein relate to a systemfor neutralizing an active shooter.

Mass shootings are unfortunate. Active shooters who try to harm manypeople in a short amount of time exists in our world. No one knows whenthey will strike and who the next mass shooter will be.

As such, there is a need for a method and device for neutralizing thethreat created by mass shooters.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein relate to an activeshooter response system using drones. The drones may act alone or incombination with each other to neutralize the active shooter eitherautomatically without human user intervention or manual by a dronepilot. Even if some of the neutralizing or deterring functions of thesystem may be done automatically, other functions may be done by humanintervention. Moreover, the drones can act in cooperatively with eachother to neutralize the active shooter. For example, in an embodiment,the operator of the base station does not manually fly the drones butidentifies who is the active shooter for the drones to target on adisplay at the base station. In another embodiment of the system, theoperator may pilot an individual drone at the base station while thebase station controls the rest of the drones. They may work together tolocate and neutralize the active shooter.

More particularly, a system for neutralizing an active shooter isdisclosed. The system may comprise a flying drone having a wirelesstransmitter; a base station having a wireless transmitter, thetransmitter of the base station in wireless communication with thewireless transmitter of the flying drone for transmitting data betweenthe flying drone and the base station; a sensor in communication withthe wireless transmitter of the flying drone for communicating data fromthe sensor to the base station; and an offensive mechanism attached tothe flying drone, the offensive mechanism being activated when theflying drone is sufficiently close to the active shooter to neutralizethe shooter.

The offensive mechanism may be a pepper spray mechanism which isoperative to disperse pepper spray at the active shooter, shockelectrodes, propeller blades, a hardened body, a glass breaker or acombination thereof.

The base station may be operative to control the flying drone.

The flying drone may be capable of flying faster than 50 miles per hour.

The system may further comprise a plurality of flying drones which areall in wireless communication with the base station. Plus, the basestation may be operative to transmit information and commands betweenflying drones to coordinate an attack of the flying drones against anactive shooter.

The base station may be operated by a human operator and the humanoperator may control a first (e.g., only one) drone from the pluralityof drones. A second drone from the plurality of drones may perform adifferent maneuver compared to the first drone. The second drone may becontrolled by the base station which coordinates its movement to be insync with the first drone depending on the maneuver of the first drone.Moreover, the first, second and plurality of drones may be configured toperform attack formations and maneuvers. For example, the operator atthe base station may set the drones in a deter function. In thisfunction, when the first drone approaches the active shooter, the secondand other drones surround the active shooter and rest on the ground topreserve battery. The operator at the base station may also set thedrones in an attack function. In this function, when the first droneapproaches the active shooter, the second and other drones may surroundand remain in the air in an attack formation.

The sensors may be optical sensors, audible sensors, infrared sensors ora combination thereof.

In another aspect, a drone mount for charging a drone during a readystate is disclosed. The drone mount may comprise a support attachable toa surface, the drone being supported by the support when the drone is ina ready state and the drone being detached from the drone when the droneis in an activate state for responding to a person that needs to beneutralized; and a charger in electrical communication with a powersupply for charging the drone while in the ready state, the chargerpositioned so that a corresponding charger of the drone is aligned toand in contact with the charger of the drone mount when the drone issupported by the support.

The support may be an extended arm angled upward so that the drone canhang on the extended arm when the drone is in the ready state and flyupward off of the extended arm as to the drone flies off of the extendedarm to the active state to respond to the person that needs to beneutralized.

The electrical contact of the drone mount may be in communication with aprocessor and memory to download data from the drone when the drone isin the ready state.

In another aspect, a drone enclosure for protecting the drone while thedrone is in a ready state is disclosed. The drone enclosure may comprisea container sufficiently large to enclose the drone; a door pivotablebetween an opened position and a closed position, the door beingpositioned at an angle so that gravity transitions the door from theclosed position to the open position; and a latch attached to thecontainer and operative to hold the door in the closed position, thelatch being remotely operable so that the latch can release the door andgravity will transition the door from the closed position to the openedposition to allow the drone to fly out of the container and transitionfrom the ready state to the active state.

The drone enclosure may further comprise a base station in communicationwith the latch. The base station may be operative to send a signal tothe latch to release the door.

The drone enclosure may further comprise a charger in electricalcommunication with a power supply for charging the drone while in theready state. The charger may be positioned so that a correspondingcharger of the drone is aligned to and in contact with the charger ofthe drone enclosure when the drone is inside the container.

The charger of the drone enclosure may manage a battery of the drone bydischarging the battery of the flying drone to extend a life of thebattery of the flying drone.

In another aspect, a drone for neutralizing a human exhibiting dangerousbehavior is disclosed. The drone may comprise a propeller which spins tocause the drone to fly through the air; a body with the propellerattached to the body; a processor attached to the body for controlling aflight path of the drone; a battery attached to the body and incommunication with the processor for powering the processor and thepropeller; a liquid or powder repellant or marking agent; a pepper spraycannister attached to the body, the cannister defining a lower portionand an upper portion, the upper portion of the canister being attachedto the body of the drone, the lower portion of the canister havingfrangible lines, the cannister defining an interior cavity with theagent contained in the interior cavity; a flammable paste within thecontainer; an explosive material disposed within the container and theflammable paste being in contact with the explosive material; and anigniter disposed within the flammable paste and in electricalcommunication with the battery so that energy from the battery isoperative to selectively ignite the igniter to start a fire with theflammable paste.

In another aspect, a method of neutralizing a person is disclosed. Themethod may comprise the steps of traversing a drone in close proximityto the person so that the person can see or hear the drone; sensing anactivity of the person with a sensor on the drone or mounted on a groundor building; transmitting data from the sensor back to a base station toprocess the data; transmitting an instruction to the drone from the basestation to activate an offensive mechanism of the drone against theperson; and traversing the drone to follow the instruction sent by thebase station.

The method may further comprise the step of transmitting instructions tothe drone to fly 8 feet or higher above ground level so that anyprojectiles being shot at the drone will not directly hit any otherbystanders.

The method may further comprise the step of transmitting instructions tothe drone to fly in a square, circular, oblong, zig-zag, front to back,side to side, diagonal pattern or combinations thereof about the personto be neutralized.

The method may further comprise the step of deactivating an anti crashsensor of the drone and transmitting instructions to the drone to flyinto the person to be neutralized at a speed greater than 40 miles perhour.

The method may further comprise the step of deactivating an anti crashsensor of the drone and transmitting instructions to the drone to flyinto a glass window at a rate so that a glass breaking tip mounted to anupper side of the drone is optimally positioned to break the glass whenthe drone is rammed into the glass.

The method may further comprise the step of transmitting instructions tothe drone to fly directly toward the person to be neutralized then tofly upward and away from the person to be neutralized so that the flightpath when the drone flies upward and away is aligned to the person to beneutralize, and to release a deterring agent attached to the bottom sideof the drone when the flight path is aligned to the person to beneutralized.

The method may further comprise the steps of traversing first and seconddrones toward the person that needs to be neutralized; transmittinginstructions from the base station to the first drone to point a sensorof the first drone toward the person to be neutralized; transmittingdata from the sensor of the first drone from the first drone to the basestation; and transmitting instructions from the base station to thesecond drone to activate an offensive mechanism of the second droneagainst the person to be neutralized based on the data sent from thefirst drone to the base station.

In the method, the sensor of the first drone may be a camera with afield of view of the camera pointed toward the person to be neutralized.

In the method, the step of traversing the first drone toward the personmay include the step of traversing the first drone to hover over theperson.

The method may further comprise the steps of detecting a feature of anarea with a camera; recognizing the feature of the area within atopographical map stored in a computer; and defining a location of thedrone upon matching the visualized feature from the camera and thestored feature in the computer.

The method may further comprise the steps of: transmitting dataregarding the feature to the base station; performing the recognizingstep at the base station; and transmitting location data based on thetransmitting data step and the performing step back to the drone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like partsthroughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a topographical view of a school property with an activeshooter response system;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an active shooter response system;

FIG. 3 illustrates a drone disposed within a hardened enclosure mountedto a wall;

FIG. 4 illustrates a drone mounted to a wall or horizontal surfacedisposed within a hardened enclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow chart for installing the active shooterresponse system on the school property;

FIG. 6 illustrates the top view of the drone;

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of the drone while it is moving forward;

FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the drone;

FIG. 9 illustrates a pictorial view of analyzing moving objects (e.g.,students, police officers, active shooters) within a monitored area ofthe school property; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of classrooms and the hallway of a buildingwith the active shooter response system;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of the plurality of drones cooperating witheach other via the base station;

FIG. 12 illustrates a drone hanging vertically from a vertical surfaceand having its battery charged while in storage in a hardened enclosure.

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view of an assembled explosive cannister;

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of the explosive cannister;

FIG. 15 is another exploded perspective view of the explosive cannister;

FIG. 16 is another exploded perspective view of the explosive cannister.

FIG. 17 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the canister;

FIG. 17A illustrates a further alternate embodiment of the canister;

FIG. 17B illustrates a further alternate embodiment of the canister;

FIG. 18 illustrates a possible scenario;

FIG. 19 illustrates a robotic laser for guiding the drone;

FIG. 20 illustrates a tactic for drone use;

FIG. 21 illustrates a further tactic for drone use;

FIG. 22 illustrates a further tactic for drone use;

FIG. 23 illustrates a further tactic for drone use;

FIG. 24 illustrates a further tactic for drone use;

FIG. 25 illustrates a further tactic for drone use;

FIG. 26 illustrates a further tactic for drone use;

FIG. 26A illustrates a detail view of electrodes fitted on the drone;

FIG. 26B illustrates another detail view of electrodes fitted on thedrone;

FIG. 27 illustrates a drone dock;

FIG. 28 illustrates a drone launcher; and

FIG. 29 illustrates another embodiment of the drone launcher.

FIG. 30 shows a front elevation view of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)configured to deploy a lachrymatory agent in accordance with anillustrated embodiment;

FIG. 31 shows a top plan view of the UAV in accordance with theillustrated embodiment;

FIG. 32 shows a bottom plan view of the UAV in accordance with theillustrated embodiment;

FIG. 33 is a video representation of a screen with target-acquisitionoverlay as implemented with a video output of the UAV in accordance withthe illustrated embodiment;

FIG. 34 shows an elevation view of a deployment assembly forimplementation with the UAV in accordance with the illustratedembodiment;

FIG. 35 shows a section view of a lachrymatory agent-containing bottlein accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 36 shows a top plan view of a baffle for integration with thelachrymatory agent-containing bottle of FIG. 6;

FIG. 37 shows a schematic of a deployment assembly for implementationwith the UAV in accordance with an alternative embodiment; and

FIG. 38 shows a schematic of a deployment assembly for implementationwith the UAV in accordance with yet another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, an active shooter response system 10 isshown (See FIG. 2). The active shooter response system may include aplurality of sensors 12, base station 14 and a plurality of drones 16.The sensors 12 and the drones 16 may be located at or near pedestriantraffic. The sensors 12 and drones 16 may be placed throughout a schoolproperty 20 (See FIGS. 1 and 10). The sensors 12 may be placed atvarious strategic locations on the school property 20 (See FIG. 1; e.g.,parking lot, roadway, sidewalks, football field, baseball field,pedestrian corridors, vehicle corridors, etc.) as well as inside ofbuildings 22 (See FIG. 10; e.g., classroom, hallways, multipurpose room,theater room, etc.). The sensors 12 and the drones 16 may be protectedwithin a hardened enclosure 18 so that an active shooter cannot disablea portion of or the entire fleet of drones 16 of the active shooterresponse system 10 by shooting at the enclosure 18. Upon detection of anactive shooter with the sensors 12, the base station may deploy thedrones in order to contain or neutralize the active shooter 24. Thedrones 16 may be fitted with pepper spray canisters for neutralizing orslowing down the active shooter 24 in causing property damage ormurdering people (i.e., students, teachers, administrators, policeofficers, etc.). Additionally, it is contemplated that the drones mayact alone or in combination with each other to physically ram propertyand/or the active shooter to neutralize the active shooter.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 10, the sensors 12 may be stationary. Theymay be fixed to a building, structure, ground or other stationaryobject. The sensors 12 b, if directional such as a video or still shotcamera, may pan and tilt. The camera sensor 12 b may rotate about atleast 45 degrees and preferably rotates 360 degrees. The camera sensor12 b may also tilt about at least 45 degrees and preferably rotates 270degrees. For the purposes of clarity, rotation of the camera sensor 12 bmay be about a vertical axis perpendicular to the ground and tilt may beabout a horizontal axis which is perpendicular to the vertical axis. Asused herein the sensors (e.g., cameras, audible sensors) describedherein may be controlled by the base station 14 or by a human being incommunication with the base station.

A plurality of sensors may be deployed throughout the school property20. In particular, the sensors 12 may be located at entry points to theschool property 20, at frequented areas such as the parking lot, outdoorplaying field, playgrounds, eating areas, hallways, classrooms,gymnasiums and also at or near entry points into the buildings 22 on theschool property 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the sensors 12 maybe placed at four corners of the parking lot 76, outdoor playing field78, near buildings 22 and near roads 80. The sensors may also be placedin classrooms 82 and hallways 84, as shown in FIG. 10. The sensors 12may be any one or a combination of the following types of sensorsincluding but not limited to an optical sensor 12 a, sound sensor 12 b,and an infrared sensor 12 c.

The sensor 12 may also be an optical sensor (i.e. stereoscopic camera,camera or video) 12 a that can detect or discriminate between students,officers and an active shooter. The optical sensor can detect anddiscriminate between students, officers and an active shooter 24 viafacial recognition, uniform recognition, and also whether the person ormoving object is holding a firearm. By way of example, and notlimitation, most students and faculty of the school may be registeredwith the system 10 in that their faces are taken by the system andstored in the base station 14. Moreover, on-site armed officers that arepermitted to have a firearm on the school property 20 may also beregistered with the system. Their faces (e.g., students and policeofficers) may be registered with the system so that the system canrecognize them during an active shooter situation. In lieu of or inaddition to facial recognition, authorized people or regular people thatare frequently on the school property may be assigned a wireless beaconwhich communicates with the base station. The beacon tells the systemthat they are present and that the drones should not hurt or harm thosecarrying the wireless beacon. Anyone that is not registered with thesystem may be considered a potential active shooter or a moving objectfor continuous monitoring during the active shooter situation. Moreover,if a person that is recognized (e.g., facial recognition or beacon) inthe system is identified as a potential active shooter, the drone 16 mayact to neutralize or slow down the active shooter. By way of example andnot limitation, a person in the system may be identified as the activeshooter manually by a person operating the base station 14. The personcan be identified as the active shooter by the drone pilot. For example,the drone pilot will see a person on a display associated with the basestation. The display receives the camera feed from the camera of thedrone. The user can press the display on, near or adjacent to the personto identify the active shooter with his or her finger or mouse. In analternate embodiment, the display that the drone pilot views may haveeach of the people in the display identified by a unique identifier(e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.). Once identified the drone and/or base station cancontinually keep track of the location of the active shooter. Moreover,the base station can send commands to the drones to mitigate harm thatthe active shooter is trying to inflict on property and people of theschool.

Additionally, because some active shooters 24 may be one of the studentsof the student body of the school, a student, faculty or otherregistered face within the system may be identified as the activeshooter if the system (i.e., optical sensor 12 a) detects that theregistered person is one who does not have authorization to carry afirearm or possess a firearm on school property or such person has beenidentified as shooting another registered person. The sensors 12 maysend or transmit the data it collects back to the base station 14 forfurther processing. If the further processing by the base station 14concludes that a certain strategic plan of action of the drones 16 isnecessary in order to neutralize at the shooter 24, the base station 14may activate and send the drones 16 to the active shooter 24 toneutralize the active shooter. The optical sensor 12 a may be a pan,tilt and zoom camera. The optical sensor 12 a may be enclosed within ahardened enclosure 18 that can withstand one or more gunshots. It canhave a window, through which, the optical sensor 12 a views itssurroundings.

It is also contemplated that students and on-site officers and facultymay have a transponder or beacon that communicates with the sensor 12and transmits that information back to the base station 14. In this way,the system can track safe targets and not attack safe targets during anactive shooter situation. Moreover, the system 10 can then spend more ofits computer processing power on locating active shooters instead oftracking safe targets.

The sound sensor may detect gun shots. In particular, the sound sensormay detect an elevated decibel reading caused by the gunshot. Theelevated decibel reading may be abnormally high decibel reading duringnormal school hours. Alternatively, the elevated decibel reading mayhave a gunshot profile which is matched to a database of gunshotprofiles in the base station 14. For example, the plurality of soundsensors that sensed the gun shot may each sense a different sounddecibel level when the gun is shot at a particular location. Because thesound bounces off of the walls, it may not be necessarily true that thelocation of the gun shot can be triangulated by the sound magnitude ofthe gun shot sensed by the plurality of audible sensors. It may be thata first sensor may sense the gun shot sound at a higher decibel levelcompared to a second sensor that is located physically closer to the gunshot. The reason might be that the first sensor might have a directunimpeded line of sight with the gun shot, whereas the second sensormight have a building disposed between the gun shot and the secondsensor. Upon hearing or sensing a gun shot, the sensors can triangulateor otherwise locate a location of the gun shot based on an intensity ofthe sensed sound from the various sound sensors 12 or the gun shotprofile.

The sensor 12 may also be an infrared sensor 12 c that can locate a heatsignature of a hot barrel of a gun or rifle that has been discharged.The heat from the exploded gun powder will increase a temperature of thebarrel of the hand gun or rifle. Additionally, the infrared sensor canalso sense heat from the exploding gas exiting the firearm's muzzle andthe ejected bullet casings from the firearm. The heat sensor or infraredsensor can sense a hot barrel of a firearm that has already beendischarged.

The sensors may be an optical sensor (e.g., camera), a sound sensor, aninfra red sensor or other type of sensor. The sensor may communicate ortransfer data and instructions to and from the drone and/or the basestation. The drone may also communicate or transfer data andinstructions to and from the sensors and/or the base station. Putsimply, the communication between the sensors, drones and the basestation may happen directly from the drone to the base station or thesensor to the base station. Or, communication can happen via anintermediate step such as from the drone to the sensor to the basestation or the sensor to the base station to the drone. All intermediatepermutations of communication are contemplated.

To more effectively deploy the drones 16 and the sensors 12 on theschool property, a topographical map of the school property 20 may betaken. The topographical map may be a two-dimensional identification ofvarious structures on the school property 20 including but not limitedto buildings, poles and signs. However, it is also contemplated that thetopographical map may be a three-dimensional rendering of the schoolproperty 20. The three-dimensional rendering may include locations ofbuildings, signs, poles, and other structures on the school property. Itmay also include elevation data of these structures. Thethree-dimensional map may be programmed into the base station 14 and/orthe drones 16. The pre-programming of the three-dimensional topical mapinto the base station 14 and/or the drone 16 may be utilized to makenavigating the drones 16 between building or on the school property moreefficient. By way of example not limitation, the drones can bepre-programmed so that they do not fly into a brick wall or some otherobstacle unless overridden automatically by the base station or manuallyby a drone pilot. The three-dimensional topographical map can also beused to locate windows 86 (see FIG. 10) through which the drones 16 canbreak to enter an otherwise locked down building 22. For example, asdiscussed below, if the drones need to enter into the building through awindow, the drones can be programmed to break through a window byphysically ramming into a window. The three-dimensional topographicalmap will provide the specific location of the window which can be brokenso that the other drones can have access to the inside of the building.In this manner, the drones can be pre-programmed to accomplish aspecific task or to maneuver by and through structures. Thetopographical map mitigates the drones from running into a wall orstructure that would needlessly decapacitate the drone. If a user takesover manual flight of any one of the drones, then the topographical mapmay be used as a way to limit where the drones 16 can fly so that thedrones do not fly into a structure. In other words, even if the droneoperator tried to ram the drone 16 into a structure, the topographicalmap may prevent the drone from hitting the structure. This can be doneby plotting the coordinates of the topographical map and tracking thedrone location through GPS or triangulating the location of the drones16 via the sensors 12 in real time or using the camera on the drone toidentify unique features and to find those unique features in atopographical map stored on the system (e.g., simultaneous localizationand mapping technology). Moreover, the drones 16 may have proximitysensors below, on top and on the sides of the drones to prevent thedrones from unintentionally hitting a structure. This makes the system10 more forgiving to user or drone pilot error. Also, the drone pilot ifone is used, may direct the drone to a particular area without having tomanually control the controls of the drones. In this regard, the dronesmay fly to such area without any drone pilot (i.e., user intervention)and avoid all structures because of the three-dimensional topographicalmap of the school property 20.

In addition to a three-dimensional physical topographical map, it isalso contemplated that a gun shot sound map may be made of the schoolproperty 20. By way of example and not limitation, gun shots may betaken at various locations throughout the school property 20. The soundsensors 12 may record the decibel levels and/or gunshot sound profilesof each gun shot at the various locations throughout the school property20. Because sounds of the gun shots that might bounce off of walls ofthe buildings 22 or other structures on the school property 20, the gunshot sound profile may take such things into account to make up the gunshot sound profile. When sounds bounce off of walls and structures, thegun shot may sound closer than it really is or further than it reallyis. By taking multiple decibel readings of various gunshots at differentlocations on the school property, the way that the sounds bounce off ofstructures can be accounted for in lieu of calculating a location basedon a straight forward triangulation calculation. By way of example notlimitation, in an environment where there are multiple buildings, thesensors 12 may not be able to properly triangulate a location of a gunshot based on the intensity of the sound. As discussed, the gun shotsound may bounce off of nearby walls and structures that change theintensity of the sound to the distance to the gun shot location. Putsimply, a sensor located closer to the gun shot may be or may receive orsense a decibel level lower than a sensor that is further away from thegun shot if the gun shot sound were to bounce off of walls and somehowfocus the sound waves to the sensor further away from the gun shot andwhile blocking the sound wavers to the closer of the two sensors 12. Bytaking a sound map of the school property, the location of the gun shotmay be determined based on the sound map and not by triangulation or acombination of the two. For example, the general location of the gunshot may be performed by triangulation but a more specific location ofthe gun shot may be determined by use of the sound map. In this way,only a sub set of the sensors 12 may be activated to reduce the load onthe processor of the base station when making calculations andcontrolling the drones.

Alternatively, the location of the gun fire can be located by sendingout one or more drones to search the general location of the gunfire.For example, when the drone(s) is inspecting a location for gunfire, thedrone's sensor(s) can sense characteristics of gunfire such as heatsignatures from the infrared sensor, high decibel readings from anaudible sensor and other sensors described herein. If a gunfirecharacteristic is sensed, then the drone can communicate suchinformation to the base station 14.

The drone 16 (See FIG. 6) may be modeled after a race drone rather thanan aerial photography drone. However, it is also contemplated that thedrone 16 may be modeled after an aerial photography drone. The drone 16may have one or more sensors including but not limited to an opticalsensor (i.e. camera), audible sensor and an infrared sensor 32. It mayalso have a transponder transceiver for communicating with a transponderworn by students, faculty and police officers of a school so that thesystem 10 may identify authorized individuals versus individuals thatare unauthorized on the school property. Additionally, the drone mayhave propellers attached with a nut 34. An upper portion of the nut 34may have a glass breaking tip 36. It is also contemplated that thepropellers may be attached with other securing mechanisms. However, theupper portion of the securing mechanisms may have a glass breaking tip36. Also, an underside of the drone 16 may have one or more pepper spraycanisters 38. The sensors 30 (i.e. camera) or the camera 30 incombination with the infrared sensor 32 may be utilized to discriminatebetween the active shooter 24, a police officer and students. Thephysical drone itself 16 may be also be used to neutralize the activeshooter 24 or assist in defensive maneuvers. For example, the droneitself may be used as a ram to hit the active shooter 24. The glassbreaking tip 36 may be used to break through a window of a building sothat other drones of the active shooter response system 10 may haveaccess to an otherwise closed or locked building. The pepper spraycanisters 38 may be used to chemically neutralize the active shooter 24.

The drones 16 may work in combination with each other as a team. By wayof example not limitation, once the active shooter 24 is identified bythe active shooter response system 10, the drones 16 may be deployed tothe active shooter 24. One drone 16 may hover directly over the activeshooter 24 to point the pepper spray at the active shooter. This may bedone while one or more drones may surround the active shooter 24. Asshown in FIG. 7, the drone 16 may have a camera that is slightly in theupwardly tilted configuration. This is due to the fact that when thedrone 16 is moving forward, the drone must tilt forwards as shown inFIG. 7 to move forward (i.e., leftward as depicted) and be able to see aforward line of sight. However, when the drone hovers over the activeshooter, the camera 30 is pointed in the up direction. The drone thathovers over the active shooter 24 cannot optically see, sense or trackthe active shooter 24 with its camera sensor 30 and/or infrared sensor.In this regard, the other drones 16 that surround the active shooter 24can point its camera 30 toward the active shooter 24 to track the activeshooter. This may be done by flying lower than the active shooter. SeeFIG. 11. The drones on the left and right side of the active shooter islower so that at this low position, the drones camera may be pointed atthe person's hands. These drones 16 send data back to the base station14 which can control the location of the drone 16 hovering over theactive shooter 24. If the active shooter 24 moves left or right, frontor back, then the drones 16 encircling the active shooter senses thosemovements, sends the data back to the base station and the base stationsends a signal to the drone 16 hovering over the active shooter 24.Because the camera 30 is in the slightly elevated or angled upwarddirection, the other drones 16 that surround the active shooter 24 maybe at or below eye level of the active shooter. In particular, the otherdrones 16 may be below or at four feet above ground level. Additionally,or alternatively, the drones 16 that surround the active shooter 24 maybe pointing toward the active shooter in the sense that the camera 30can see the active shooter 24 but the drones 16 may be in a landedposition so that the drones need not consumer battery while the activeshooter is being confined to the particular location by surrounding theactive shooter 24 and placing an flying drone 16 direct above the activeshooter 24. If the battery of the drone 16 that is flying over theactive shooter 24 is low, then that drone 16 can be swapped with one ofthe other drones. In this regard, the plurality of drones can provide asignificant amount of battery management in order to hold the activeshooter 24 at the locations for an extended period of time significantlygreater than the battery life of any one drone. Moreover, to conservebattery power of the drones, one or more drones can be powered down andland outside of where the drones are circumscribing the active shooterto conserve the battery power of the drone. As the battery power of theother drones go down, the drones that have been shut off may take off topursue the active shooter. This may be done at the same time that thethen currently flying drones are landed and shut off to preserve its ownbattery power.

It is also contemplated that the drones may have a downward facingcamera so that when the drone is hovering over the active shooter thatthe downward facing camera tracks a location of the active shooter andcontinue to sense characteristics of the active shooter with itson-drone sensors including but not limited to the audible, visual andinfrared sensors.

In another situation, if the active shooter 24 is in a building with alldoors and windows in a closed position but the drones 16 are outside ofthe building, the drones may coordinate with each other to break througha glass window and allow at least one or more of the drones 16 to enterthrough the broken window. As discussed above, the location of thewindow to be broken can be retrieved and identified with thetopographical map. In particular, the base station may send a signal tothe plurality of drones so that the drone that is closest to the windowor the one that can gain enough speed rams into the window of the lockedbuilding in order to break the window. To assist in breaking the glasswindow, the drones 16 may have glass breaking tips 36. The glassbreaking tips 36 may be affixed to the body of the drone or aligned tothe rotational axis of the propellers of the drones 16. When the racedrones 16 are flying at a high speed of rate (i.e., 70 to 120 mph), theangle 40 (FIG. 7) of attack is very high if not close to 90 degrees. Thedrone 16 can speed up and approach the window at a high rate of speed atwhich the angle of attack 40 is closer to 90 degrees so that the glassbreaking tips 36 can contact and break the glass as the drone is flowninto the glass window. At this high rate of speed, the glass breakingtips can be aligned to be parallel with the ground so that the glassbreaking tips contact a window which is vertically oriented at within anoptimal range. The first drone or a few thereafter may be a sacrificialdrone which allows the other drones to access the building through thebroken window.

Preferably the active shooter 24 is neutralized with a chemical such aspepper spray. To this end, the drone 16 may be retrofitted with one ormore pepper spray canisters 38. The drone 16 hovering over the activeshooter 24 may release one of more pepper spray liquid, if needed. Thepepper spray liquid may be atomized and spread in the area of the activeshooter 24. More particularly, when the pepper spray liquid is atomized,the wind displacement caused by the propellers 42 may assist indirecting the pepper spray liquid onto the active shooter 24. If thedrone 16 hovering over the active shooter 24 releases all of itscanisters, then such drone can switch place with another drone 16 whichstill has charged pepper spray cannisters. If all of the drones 16releases all their pepper spray canisters 38 but the active shooter 24is still not neutralized, it is also contemplated that the drone itself16 may ram into the active shooter. It is also contemplated that thedrone(s) may ram itself into the active shooter first then release thepepper spray on the active shooter. The drones may weigh about one tofive pounds and when they are traveling at a rate of about 50 to 120miles per hour, they can provide physical damage or a physical defenseagainst the active shooter 24. In this scenario, the drones 16 alsocooperate with one another. The drone that is selected to ram into theactive shooter 24 may not be able to see the active shooter 24 with itscamera 30. The other drones 16 that surround the active shooter 24 mayprovide the needed location information of the active shooter 24 to theselected drone for ramming. It can fly near but lower than the activeshooter so that the drone to be flown into the active shooter receiveslocation data of the active shooter via the sensor of the drones flyingadjacent to the active shooter and not from the drone to be flown intothe active shooter.

The decision to ram the drones 16 into the active shooter may be anoption of last resort since a computerized decision to ram the drone 16into the active shooter may be an error by the system 10. The system 10may have erroneously identified a safe person as the active shooter.With the potential for loss of life, the decision to ram the drone 16into the active shooter may be a manual decision by a police officer orsomeone that is trained to use the system. Moreover, the decision can bemade at a computer terminal or system command in communications with orat the base station 14.

The decision to ram the drone(s) into the active shooter or spray orotherwise neutralize the active shooter may be made by the base stationwithout human intervention. For example, the drones and/or sensorslocated on the school property may sense that everyone is running awayfrom a particular individual. Or, an infrared sensor may identify a hotbarrel of a gun. That individual may be identified as the active shooterby the base station. Or, a combination of these two indicators mayidentify the individual as the active shooter. The base station withoutany human intervention may decide to neutralize the active shooter byramming the drone(s) into the active shooter or spraying the activeshooter with the pepper spray. Alternatively, a drone pilot or basestation operator may see what the drones are seeing by way of a displaywhich shows the video feed from the drones and sensors on the schoolproperty. The drone pilot or the base station operator can identify anindividual as the active shooter by touching a touch sensitive screenwhere the active shooter is located or by using a keyboard and/or mouseto hover over the active shooter displayed on the screen and clicking onthe active shooter.

Referring now to FIG. 8, each drone may have an infrared sensor 32, anoptical sensor (i.e. camera) 30 and propellers 42 that are secured toits motors 44 with nuts 34. The nuts 34 may be fitted with glassbreaking tips 36. The drone may be mounted or built on a frame 46 havinga power distribution module 48, battery 50, a flight controller andinertial measurement unit 50, computer or processor 52, detonator 54,transmitter 56, 58 and one or more pepper spray canisters 38. Thetransmitter 58 may have bi-directional communications with the basestation 14.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the drones 16 may optically track variousmoving objects in its optical field of view with the camera 30. The datareceived from the cameras 30 and infrared sensors 32 of all of thedrones 16 may be transmitted back to the base station 14 for processingand sending back signals to control the drones 16 based on the collecteddata such as in the example above where one drone hovers over the activeshooter 24 and the other drones encircling the active shooter provideslocation data. Also, if multiple drones are spread over a wide area, thedrone that senses a characteristic of a gunfire or other threat canwirelessly communicate the data back to the base station. The basestation or an operator at the base station can redirect the drones toone or more locations depending on where the threats are sensed.

When an active shooter situation is identified (e.g., when an elevateddecibel reading by the acoustic/sound sensors is sensed), a portion orthe entire fleet of drones 16 may be deployed. The current deployeddrones may be flown to the estimated location of the active shooter 24.At or near the active shooter, all moving objects may initially beidentified as a safe target. However, if a heat signature is detected bythe infrared sensor 32 by the infrared sensor 32 of the drone 16, themoving object may be categorized as a caution target (i.e., target whichwill be continuously monitored). The infrared sensors 12 c could alsolocate the active shooter 24 as well and send back data to the basestation for identification and continuous monitoring as caution target.Caution target are those targets which the system 10 does not know ifthey are there to protect students (e.g., police officers, etc.) or tohurt the students (e.g., active shooters).

The safe targets are represented by dash lines in FIG. 9. The targetselected for continuous monitoring (i.e., caution targets) is identifiedby the dash dot lines. If one of the safe targets or the caution targets62 shoots at one or more of the safe targets 60, then the safe target 60and/or the caution target 62 may be changed to an active shooter target64. This is represented by the solid line. The reason is that targetsshould not be shooting at safe targets 60. If the safe targets and/orthe caution targets 62 are shooting at each other, then both targets arelabeled as caution targets 62 because it is unclear which is the policeofficer and which is the active shooter 24. The system can identify thedirection in which the firearm is shot by analyzing movement of thepeople with respect to each other and to the structures.

The data processing may occur at the drones themselves or at the basestation. The base station may be a computer or a computer linked to acloud-based computing processor. The base station may process the datafrom the sensors and/or drones or receive processed data from thecloud-based computer of the sensors and/or drones. The base station maycontrol the drones based on the processed data.

The drones 16 may be secured in a drone enclosure 18. Various droneenclosures 18 are contemplated. Referring now to FIG. 3, the droneenclosure 18 a may be mounted to a wall 66. The drone enclosure 18 a mayhave a wireless transmitter 68 that communicates with the base station14 and relays information between the base station 14 and the drone 16contained within the drone enclosure 18 a. The drone enclosure 18 a mayhave a hardened exterior that is bullet proof or bullet resistant. Thedrone enclosure 18 a may have a spring activated door 68. The door maybe hinged on its bottom side so that gravity can help open the door whenits latch is released. Moreover, the latch 70 may have a spring thatpushes or forces the door 68 open to further speed up the opening of thedoor 68 in order to minimize time for the drone 16 to fly out of theenclosure 18 a. The door 68 may be tilted at an angle so that once thelatching mechanism 70 is disengaged, the door 68 will eventually falldue to the weight of its self and by gravity. In the event of mechanicalfailure, the only thing that needs to happen for the door to open is thelatch must be released. The drone may be mounted into the enclosure inthe orientation shown in FIG. 12, as shown in FIG. 3. Referring now toFIG. 4, the drone enclosure 18 may be mounted to a ground 72 or a rooftop 74. The enclosure 18 b may have two doors 68 and operate in the samemanner compared to the door of enclosure 18 a.

Referring now to FIG. 12, the drone 16 may hang on a vertical surface88. The drone may be enclosed within an enclosure as shown in FIG. 3with a gravity falling door. The vertical surface 88 may be a verticalsurface of the enclosure 18 a, 18 b. A stud 90 may have one or moreelectrical contacts 92 and have power routed to the electrical contacts92. The drone 16 may have a plurality of corresponding electricalcontacts 94. The drone 16 may be hung on the stud and when doing so, thecorresponding electrical contacts 94 may contact the contacts 92 whichprovides power and recharges the rechargeable battery of the drone 16.The contacts can also provide a communication link to the base stationwhere the drone's internal system status can be stored and evaluated.The various maneuvers performed by the drone 16 may be controlled bydrone pilots or a computer program of the base station 14, whichcommunicates with the drones 16. The drones 16 may be in communicationwith the base station 14 to relay information sensed by the dronesensors and the sensors distributed throughout the protected area sothat the base station 14 can coordinate the activities of the drone ordrones 16. The base station 14 can communicate and automatically (i.e.without user intervention) control the drones 16 to neutralize ormitigate the actions of the active shooter 24. The sensors 12 can alsocommunicate directly with the base station or indirectly with the basestation via the drone.

Referring now to FIGS. 13-16, an explosive canister 100 attachable to adrone 112 is shown. The explosive canister 100 may be attached to abottom side of a drone 112 and contain a repellent 114. The drone 112may be maneuvered toward a person who may be a threat to him or herselfor to others. The explosive canister 100 may be exploded near andpreferably at the person in order to release the repellent 114 on theperson to neutralize the person. When the repellent 114 contacts (e.g.,inhaled or contacts the skin of the person) the person, the repellent114 serves to stop the person from being a threat to him or herself orto others.

The explosive canister 100 may include a repellent canister 116, a gunpowder canister 118, a split screw 120, and a connector 122.Additionally, the drone may have an electrical circuit board 124 and abody 125.

The repellant canister 116 may define an interior volume 126. The sizeof the interior volume 126 may be sufficiently large so as to holdenough repellent 114 in order to stop a three hundred (300) pound maleindividual. An interior surface 126 of the repellant canister 116 mayhave frangible lines 128 that circumscribed the entire lower portion ofthe repelling canister 116. A flange 130 of the repelling canister 116does not have any frangible lines or grooves 128 so that when theexplosive canister 100 explodes, such explosion does not penetrate thebody 125 of the drone 112. The repellant canister 116 may be fabricatedfrom a generally rigid material including, but not limited to plastic.However, it is also contemplated that the material of the repellantcanister 116 may include other flexible material including, but notlimited to film, plastic film, or other flexible membranes. If therepellant canister 116 is fabricated from a flexible membrane, then theflexible membrane may be secured to a rigid flange 130. The flange 130may have internal threads 132 that meet with external threads 134 of thegun power canister 118.

The repellent material 114 may be a liquid repellent material, a powderrepellent material or a combination thereof. By way of example and notlimitation, the repellent material 114 may be a pepper spray.Additionally, the material contained within the repellent canister 116may, in addition to or alternatively, from the repellent material be amarking material (liquid or powder). In this regard, when the explosivecanister 100 is maneuvered to the person, the goal is not to stop theperson but to mark the person so that the others (e.g., police) canidentify the person when the police arrives.

The gun powder canister 118 may also have an interior volume 136sufficiently large to hold enough explosive (e.g., gun powder,pyrotechnic flash powder, lead azide, lead styphnate, nitramide such asa RDX or cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, pentaerythritol tetranitrate)138 to burst open the gun powder canister 118 as well as the repellentcanister 116. Gun powder 138 may be placed in the interior volume 136.The interior volume 136 of the gun powder canister 118 may be closed offwith the split screw 120 and the connector 122. To do so, the connector122 may have an electrical connector 140, an electrical wire 142 and anigniter 144. The electrical connector 140 may have a flange 146 whichmay be received into groove 148 of the first and second parts 120 a, 120b of the split screw 120. The split screw 120 may be assembled togetheraround the electrical connector 140 with the flange 146 disposed withinthe groove. When this is so, the electrical connector 140 cannot beremoved from the split screw 120. The threads 150 of the split screw 120may be threaded into the internal threads 152 of the gun powder canister118.

A through hole 156 may be formed in the split screw 120 to allow forpassage of the electrical wire 142. The length of the electrical wire142 may be sufficiently long so that the igniter 144 is disposed withinthe gun powder 138 when assembled. Prior to screwing the split screw 120onto the gun powder canister 118, a flammable paste 158 may be placedover the igniter 144. The igniter 144 may be a heating element whichheats up when the electrical circuit board 124 sends a short circuit tothe igniter 144. The flammable paste 158 may be a material that igniteswhen exposed to a low temperature. For example, the flammable paste 158may ignite and burn when exposed to a temperature at or above 180 or 300degrees Fahrenheit. The igniter 144 is capable of being heated to theminimum temperature at which the flammable paste will ignite.

Once the flammable paste burns, the fire from the flammable paste 144will ignite the gun powder 138 and explode the gun powder canister 116and the repellent canister 116. The electrical connector 140 may beinserted into a female receptacle 154. The female receptacle 154 may bein electrical communication with the electrical circuit board 124. Whenthe electrical connector 140 is inserted into the female receptacle 154,the electrical circuit board 124 is placed into electrical communicationwith the igniter 144 via the female receptacle 154, the electricalconnector 140, the electrical wire 142. Moreover, when the electricalconnector 140 is inserted into the female receptacle 154, the electricalconnector 140 may have a latch 160 that catches a lip within the femalereceptacle to hold the explosive cannister 100 to the drone 112.

Upon assembly, the explosive canister 100 may be disposed an undersideof the drone 112. When a person is identified as a threat, the drone 112may be dispatched to the person. The drone 112 may be maneuvered so thata vertical axis 162 of the drone 100 is pointing toward or intersectingthe person. At this moment, the electrical circuit board 124 may send asignal to heat up the igniter 144. The igniter 144 heats up and causesthe flammable paste 144 to burn. Upon the flammable paste burning, thegun powder 114 is ignited which bursts open the gun powder canister 118and the repelling canister 116. The repellent 114 is aimed and shottoward the person. The propellers of the drone 112 further assist inpushing the repellent material toward the person.

The vertical axis of the drone may be an axis normal to a plane in whichthe propellers of the drone 112 are spinning.

Referring now to FIG. 17, an alternate configuration for the explosivecanister is shown. The explosive canister is similar to the explosivecanister shown in FIG. 13 but utilizes a different chamber design. Theprinted circuit board (PCB) may be installed above an explosive chargeto assist in building pressure once detonated. The spacer may serve toprovide a gap between the PCT and the explosive charge so that excesswire may be rolled up into it, if needed. The wire may be used toconnect the detonation charge to the PCB. Other ways for connecting thedetonation charge to the PCB are also contemplated.

FIG. 17A shows a canister that uses both a mechanical (propellant) andchemical (explosive charge) energy to release the agent (e.g., pepperspray, marking agent). The contents of the canister may be pressurizedby a propellant gas. An explosive charge may be detonated by the PCB.The canister wall and the charge housing may be ruptured upondetonation. This may allow the propellant to force the contents out.

In FIG. 17B, the contents of the canister may be pressurized by apropellant gas. A puncture plate may be placed against a weakenedcanister wall. An explosive charge may be affixed to the puncture platewith adhesive tape as an example. The PCT may detonate the chargeforcing the puncture plate through the canister wall, which may allowthe propellant to force out the agent.

The following are also contemplated in relation to the explosivecanister. The explosive canister may use an electrical current (from thedrones computer) to trigger an explosive charge that opens a pressurizedcanister. This lets us avoid the added weight of servos or actuators torelease the contents. This method also allows us to release the contentsvery fast.

Referring now to FIG. 17A, the canister may contain the pepperspray/pepper powder or noxious gas. The contents may be forced out by apropellant gas. The charge may be secured by a housing that focuses theblast into the canister and housing opening. Both the charge housing andthe canister wall can have relief cuts to ensure proper opening.

Referring now to FIG. 17B, the contents of the canister may bepressurized by a propellant gas. The charge is placed over a punctureplate and held in place by an adhesive tape. The puncture plate has asharpened opening in the center that extends upwards from the plate, itfocuses the explosive energy into the wall of the canister.

In both FIGS. 17 A and 17 B, the charge is electrically connected to thePCB of the drone. The battery of the drone provides the electricalcharge to the charge so as to ignite the charge and explosively open thecanister.

Referring now to FIGS. 18 and 19, a robotic laser for guiding a drone toa location is shown and will be discussed below.

This system may be used to stop a sniper firing onto a crowd from anelevated position.

An operator may remotely control and monitor multiple laser mountedrobotic gimbals 13 from a control room (onsite or via an internetconnection). A computer processes data from gunshot sensors 12 (acousticor optical) located about the room and can aim the robotic gimbals 13towards the shooters estimated location. The robotic gimbals may beequipped with thermal sensors, cameras, visible lasers (dazzlers) and anon-visible laser designator. The gimbal may be placed on an elevatedlocation (near a mass of people) pole, concert stage, building, tethereddrone etc.

If shots are fired, the computer may automatically (i.e., without userintervention) rotate the gimbal 13 toward the estimated location of thesniper, while the computer notifies the operator that gunfire has beenregistered. The computer may receive the sensed gunshots through thesensors 12 and triangulate the location of the gunfire or locate thegunfire based on a gunshot sound profile. The computer then controls thegimbals 13 and directs the lasers of the gimbals to the location of thesniper. The operator then takes control of the robotic gimbal, using thecamera suite to find the shooter. Once located, the operator triggersthe lasers and can launch the drones that are the closest to the gunmen.The lasers can also be set to distract the sniper and can temporarilyblind the gunmen, while the drones use the laser to guild theirnon-lethal payload to the target. Although the payload of the drones arepreferably nonlethal, it is also contemplated that the payload of thedrones discussed herein may be lethal (e.g., explosion, projectile,poisonous gas or spray).

The drones can also be controlled by the base station or computer withinthe control room of the venue via a wireless communication (e.g., radiolink). In this method, the computer uses the gimbal's camera suite tovisually track and maneuver the drones to the target.

The drones can also be piloted manually (by humans within the controlroom), using the visible laser to help them navigate to the target. Thedrone's camera may sense the location of the laser and guide itselftoward the laser.

The computer can also calculate the GPS coordinates of the sniper usingthe coordinates of the gimbal, the horizontal azimuth, vertical azimuthand distance (measured with laser) measured by the gimbal. The snipers'location can be accessible to law enforcement via a mobile applicationthat overlays the gunmen's location onto a map. If drones have enteredthe snipers' room via the window, the camera feed from the drones canalso be accessible via the mobile application. This allows lawenforcement to inspect the inside of the shooters' room prior toentering.

The operator may have communication equipment to coordinate a responsewith law enforcement and security personnel. For concert venues, theoperator may control the events' public announcement system tocommunicate with the audience during an emergency.

Benefits include but are not limited to 1) laser guiding the drones tothe shooters' location reduces the processing payload on the drone'scomputer or the base station computer 2) allows for more reliabilitybecause security professionals are now in control of designating thetarget and launching the drones, 3) allows one operator to controlmultiple robotic gimbals and multiple drones while not being a pilot forany single drone, 4) the laser dazzler can be used to disorient theshooter, stopping the attack temporarily, 5) anyone at the venue canlook up and see where the sniper is firing from and can find suitablecover faster, and 6) law enforcement can locate and engage a sniper morequickly thereby reducing the amount of counter sniper police needed toprotect an event.

Referring now to FIGS. 20-26, tactics for drone use is shown and will bedescribed below.

FIG. 20 illustrates drone tactic for distracting the person being athreat. For example, the drone may fly toward the shooter, within theshooters line of sight while maneuvering erratically. The drone may becontrolled automatically by the base station or a drone pilot. The dronemay come within 3 to 5 feet of the active shooter. The erratic movementmay be up and down movement above the active shooter. The erraticmovement may also be pitch, yaw and roll movements to make the droneharder to shoot. Also, because the drone is in the shooters line ofsight (or field of view), the active shooter's attention and/or gunfireis directed away from people and to the drone. The drones flight pathelevation may be higher than the shooter's so that any gunfire directedat the drone is angled upwards and away from bystanders behind or infront of the drone. The drone may fly above 10 feet off of the groundwhere the active shooter is standing. Drawing the shooter's fire and orattention stops people or law enforcement from being targeted. Thistactic also forces the shooter to stand in place as they steady theiraim to shoot down the drone flying toward them. With the shooterstanding still or in place, they are an easier target for the otherdrones arriving from different directions. Moreover, the drone 16 mayfly toward the shooter 24 to shoot the pepper spray at the activeshooter. As the drone approaches the active shooter, the pepper spraymay be directed away from the shooter 24 as illustrated in the rightmost pictured drone 16 in FIG. 20. However, as the drone 16 approachesthe shooter 24, the drone 16 may lift up and away from the shooter 24 asshown by travel direction 15 to align the spray direction of the pepperspray device toward the active shooter. As the drone 16 approaches theshooter 24, the drone pilot may identify the active shooter. The activeshooter may be visible in the display at the base station or of thedrone. Once the active shooter is in the cross hairs, the drone pilot orbase station may trigger fire. After pressing the “fire” button, thedrone 16 may then automatically take over and come close enough to theshooter 24 by way of proximity sensors or camera sensors then fly up andaway at the proper angle 17 from horizontal in order to optimally shootthe pepper spray toward the shooter 24. The propellers of the drone 16further accelerates the speed at which the pepper spray is directedtoward the shooter 24 and the dispersion of the canister contents.

The timing of the detonation of the canister may be accomplished in thefollowing way. The base station computer or an onboard computer of thedrone may determine an optimal detonation point based on inputs from thedrone's sensors. For example, the drone's sensors (e.g., proximitysensor, camera) may determine a distance between the drone and theperson to be neutralized. The drone may detonate the canister 1) as thedrone passes the person to be neutralized, 2) as the drone approachesthen flies up and away from the person to be neutralized or 3) as thedrone is hovering over the person to be neutralized. The computer at thebase station or onboard the drone may instruct the drone to adjust itsspeed to adjust the angular attack of the drone to be optimal. Thecomputer may instruct the drone to detonate the canister when a verticalaxis of the drone is aligned to the person to be neutralized whileaccounting for speed of the drone. At the base station, the operator canidentify the person to be neutralized by indicating so on a computerdisplay. Once the person to be neutralized is identified, then thecomputer at the base station or the drone's computer can calculate thetime of detonation and the maneuver that the drone must make to alignthe vertical axis of the drone for optimal detonation so that thedeterring agent is directed toward the person to be neutralized.

FIG. 21 illustrates drone tactic for harassing the person being a treat.The drone may fly in close proximity of the shooter's head and attemptsto make contact with the propeller blades to the shooter's face or head.For example, the drone may come closer than 3 feet of the activeshooter. The maneuver may be conducted at slower more controlled speeds(e.g., under 10 miles per hour) that allows the drone to make quick anderratic directional changes, similar to how a fly buzzes around aperson's face. The goal for this maneuver is to take the shootersattention away from engaging people or law enforcement and focusing ondodging the drone's blades. Also, the drone can potentially incapacitatethe active shooter with a strike of the propeller of the drone. Thedrone may be controlled by the base station or a dedicated controllerfor the drone. It is also contemplated that the rotating blades may beused to attack the active shooter.

FIG. 22 illustrates a drone tactic for ramming the person being athreat. The drone may fly towards the shooter and attempt to impact theshooter in the upper body or face. In this mode, the drone proximitysensors that prevent the drone from hitting a structure may be turnedoff so that the drone can impact the active shooter. On impact, thepepper spray canisters may be detonated to further incapacitate theactive shooter. This maneuver gets the canister and its contents closerto the shooters face at the time of detonation. This tactic is best usedwhere the drone has limited space for maneuvering (the shooter is in awindow/balcony of a building. Its also serves to stop the shootersgunfire either by distraction, physical contact or by delivery of thecanisters' contents.

FIG. 23 illustrates a drone tactic for flyby next to the person being athreat. The drones flight path may be higher than an elevation of theactive shooter's head. The drone 16 may pass from left to right over theshooter 24. In order to do so, the drone 16 is tilted forward. Based onthe speed of the drone, the angle of the pepper spray canister might notbe optimal to spray the pepper spray onto the active shooter. When thedrone 16 is above the shooter 24, the drone 16 may slow down so that theangle of the pepper spray canister may be aligned at the optimal angle17 toward the shooter 24 as shown by the middle drone in FIG. 23. As thedrone passes the shooter, the on-board computer or the base stationcalculates the optimal detonation point based on the shooters' locationin relation to the drones' flight path, speed and predicted trajectoryof the canister contents. Once the canister has exploded and the pepperspray is directed toward the shooter 24, the drone 16 may then speed upto escape being damaged by the shooter physically by being shot at orhit with a rock, stone, hand or other object. The drones can alsoexecute this maneuver side by side to maximize coverage area during onepass of the drones.

FIG. 24 illustrates a drone tactic for redirect. The drone may tiltforward to fly at the target. Once within range of the target, the frontof the drone tilts upwards directing its canisters at the target. Thedrone triggers the canister, releasing its contents as the rotorsdisperse the contents toward the target. The drone 16 behaves in thesame manner as described in relation to FIG. 20 except that the drone 16flies in a straight line instead of an erratic line as shown in FIG. 20.

FIG. 25 illustrates a drone tactic for breaking glass 17. The reasonthat the drone is configured to break glass is that the shooter may beinside of a room having a window. To gain access to the room or spaceinside of the building, a plurality of drones may act together. A firstdrone may break the glass to create an access opening for the otherdrones, then the rest of the drones may enter the building, room orspace inside the building via the access opening. To this end, thedrones may be fitted with glass penetrators 36 (e.g., glass breakers)that protrude out from the body or near the blades of the drone, at anupward angle so that when the drones tilt forward for speed, thepenetrator is parallel to the ground. The drones use this tactic to gainaccess to a building or vehicle. As discussed herein, the drone 16 maybreak the glass 17 with its glass breaker 36, the second drone 16following behind the first drone 16 may enter through the window oropening made by the first drone.

FIG. 26 illustrates a drone tactic for electroshock takedown. The dronemay have electrodes 19 that protrude out from the drones' body, arms orrotor covers. The drone tilts forward to gain speed, maneuvers to lineup the electrodes with the target and attempts to make contact with itselectrodes and the target. The drones determine when to electrify theelectrodes based on sensor information (camera, proximity sensor orinertial measurement).

Referring now to FIGS. 26A and 26B, these figures illustrate anembodiment of the drone having the capability to deliver an electricalshock to the active shooter. For example, this drone may incapacitate anactive shooter (e.g., target) with an electrical shock (like a stungun). The electrodes 19 may protrude out from the body of the drone orthe arms or propeller guards. An onboard voltage amplifier circuit mayuse the drone's battery or dedicated battery to electrify theelectrodes. The drone's computer determines when to electrify theelectrodes with the use of sensors (camera, proximity sensors or IMUwith impact). The drone can have electrical contacts for charging and orcommunications. This design eliminates the need for an electrodelaunching mechanism. Enabling a weight and size reduction of the drone.The electrical charge from the battery may be timed to disperse throughthe electrodes at the right time.

FIG. 27 illustrates a drone dock 21. The drone dock 21 may have anangled surface 23 that the drone 16 rests against and a shelf 25 at thebottom to hold the drone in place. The dock can have electrical contacts27 for data transfer or charging. The drone 16 may also have electricalcontacts 29 for charging its battery when the contacts 29 or in contactwith 27 retransfers electricity to charge the battery of the drone 16.This occurs when the drone 16 is loaded on the drone dock 21 as shown inFIG. 27. The drone can fly off on its own power. The dock can have acamera that feeds into the drone or central computer (base station). Thecomputer, dock camera and drone can be integrated into a CCTV system.

Referring now to FIGS. 28 and 29, drone launcher 31 is shown. The dronesmay have propeller guards 33 that allow them to press up against eachother. They are placed in a tube 35 that has an opening (or door) on oneend and a plunger (or pusher) on the opposite end. A pressurized tankwith valve may be connected to the tube (opposite the door). Whenactivated, the compressed gas forces the plunger 37 and drones out ofthe tube.

The launcher can be angled upwards (i.e., vertical as shown in FIG. 28)to give the drones flight controller more time before colliding with theground. The tube can have electrical contacts for communication/powerconnection to the drones so that the drones' batteries can be poweredand charged and ready to fly when needed while the drones 16 are beingstored away. A computer can control the door opening and pressure valveto remote launch the drones. This launcher enables the deployment ofmultiple drones through a smaller opening (police car window).

The description of a drone launcher gravity powered has been disclosed.Multiple drones may be stacked in a tube, with the bottom having aremote-controlled door. The tube/launcher can be placed in a high uplocation (building face, light post, column etc.) enabling the dronesflight controller to maneuver before hitting the ground. The drones canbe placed vertically (see FIG. 28) so that when in free fall, the trustfrom the propellers drives the drone away from the wall or structure.The tube can have charging and communication contacts for the drones.The launcher may have a camera mounted to feed the drones or dronecontrol system.

For purposes herein, the lachrymatory agent may comprise pepper spray,2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile (“CS gas”), Tungsten hexafluoride, Aceticanhydride, Thionyl chloride, Chloropicrin, Acrolein, Ethyl acrylate, andother compositions which effect lachrymation, causing the secretion oftears. The lachrymatory agent may comprise a liquid, a noxious gas orpowder.

Also, the terms “bottle” and “can” or “cannister” may be usedinterchangeably herein in accordance with the plain and ordinary meaningand usage by one having skill in the art.

UAVs are widely known and appreciated in the art, and therefore certainparticulars including inner workings, fundamentals, materials, andassembly procedures are readily available for reference, and generallyconsidered to be within the ordinary level of skill in the art. As such,for clarity and simplicity, a detailed reference to some of these thingswill not be expressly made in this disclosure. Rather, it is the intentthat any details omitted herein should be resolved from the ordinaryknowledge and skill in the art of UAVs. However, certain novel features,combinations and arrangements are explicitly disclosed and claimedherein in order to set forth the spirit and scope of the invention, andto enable the same.

Now, turning to the drawings, FIG. 30 shows a front elevation view of anunmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 200 configured to deploy a lachrymatoryagent in accordance with an illustrated embodiment. The UAV comprises abody 201 having a plurality of arms 202 extending from a proximal end atthe body of the UAV to a distal end. Each arm is coupled to anaviation-suitable electric motor 203 disposed at the distal end of therespective arm. Aviation-suitable electric motors are those which aregenerally light-weight compared to conventional electric motors.However, any electric motor may be similarly incorporated. Coupled toeach electric motor is a propeller 204 having one or more blades eachextending radially outwardly from the motor and configured to producelift. The UAV may optionally, and preferably, comprise legs 205 forlanding purposes, shown in broken lines as being optional.

The UAV is further characterized in that it comprises a lachrymatoryagent-deploying assembly, a nozzle, and a first-person view (FPV)camera.

The lachrymatory agent-deploying assembly 210, in the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 30, generally comprises a lachrymatory agentcontaining bottle 211 disposed or nested within a portion of the canstabilizer 212. A servo-actuator 213 is deployed upon receiving awireless signal such that the contents of the bottle are release througha hose 214 and into the nozzle 215, where a spray pattern 226 iscommunicated from the nozzle. Generally, the servo-actuator isconfigured to translate in a vertical direction, depressing a releasevalve of the bottle. In some embodiments, the bottle comprises anaerosol cannister configured to release the lachrymatory agent.

Additionally, the UAV is equipped with a first-person view (FPV) camera220. The camera is oriented or otherwise configured in alignment withthe nozzle, such that a video output from the FPV camera can be combinedwith a target-acquisition overlay to allow a remote operator of the UAVto visualize an enemy target and deploy the lachrymatory agent in aspray pattern extending outwardly from the UAV to the target.

The arms of the UAV may be designed for collapsible nesting about thebody portion. In this regard, the UAV may be configured for portability.

In certain embodiments, the can stabilizer is configured to hold the canat a height which is vertically centered about the body of the UAV. Thisprovides a centered mass that increases flight maneuverability.

In other embodiments, as further illustrated herein, multiplelachrymatory agent containing bottles may be mounted on the UAV.

The UAV may be remotely controlled, via wireless communication.Alternatively, the UAV may be configured with software for self-piloting(e.g., no human intervention) or be controlled by a base station or anoperator at the base station.

In one aspect, a facility is provided with audio sensors, visualsensors, or a combination thereof. The sensors are used to detectgunshots or other events, which events would trigger the launch and useof the UAV as described herein. For example, the sensors can be used inan overall system to detect a location of the gunshots or events, anddirect the UAV to the location. The UAV may be configured to receive acontinuous feed of data related to events and locations of detectedevents. One or more thermal energy sensors, or infrared sensors, can beimplemented to detect location of an enemy target. Onboard video systemsenable use of a video camera to confirm the identify and location of thetarget. Once in range of the target, the UAV can be configured to deploythe lachrymatory agent, laterally outward from the UAV, such that thetarget is engaged with non-lethal force.

The drone may be stored in an enclosure to keep it housed from theoutdoor environment, and may implement a battery charger to keep the UAVat full power and ready to deploy. Examples of these are shown in FIGS.27-29. The enclosure can be armored to prevent gunmen from targeting thedrone first. Also, it can have an electronically-translated (opened)access so that it can be opened by the drone or ground system.

FIG. 31 shows a top plan view of the UAV in accordance with theillustrated embodiment. As above, the UAV comprises a body 201, andmultiple arms 202 extending outwardly from the body (here four arms). Ata distal end of each arm an electric motor 203 is disposed. The electricmotor is further coupled to one or more propellers 204 having one ormore blades extending radially outwardly from the motor.

The UAV is further characterized as comprising a lachrymatoryagent-deploying assembly 210 configured to deploy a lachrymatory agentto nozzle 215, where spray pattern 226 is deployed. The UAV furtherincludes an FPV camera 220 configured in video-alignment with thenozzle.

It should be noted that in some embodiments the nozzle, FPV camera, or acombination thereof, may be equipped with a tilt (pitch) or yawadjusting mechanism, such as, for example, an accelerometer androtational movement device, or any system known in the art for rotatingcomponentry about a fixed base.

FIG. 32 shows a bottom plan view of the UAV in accordance with theillustrated embodiment. The UAV is shown comprising a body 201, andmultiple arms 202 extending outwardly from the body (here four arms). Ata distal end of each arm an electric motor 203 is disposed. The electricmotor is further coupled to one or more propellers 204 having one ormore blades extending radially outwardly from the motor. The UAV isfurther characterized as comprising a lachrymatory agent-deployingassembly 210 configured to deploy a lachrymatory agent to nozzle 215,where spray pattern 226 is deployed. The UAV further includes an FPVcamera 220 configured in video-alignment with the nozzle.

FIG. 33 is a video representation of a display 300 withtarget-acquisition overlay 350 as implemented with a video output of theUAV in accordance with the illustrated embodiment. Thetarget-acquisition overlay is configured through alignment of thecamera, nozzle, and optionally pressure adjustments of the fluid or gasas communicated from the nozzle, such that the agent is deployed in adirection of the intended target using the target acquisition overlay(“crosshairs”).

FIG. 34 shows an elevation view of a deployment assembly forimplementation with the UAV in accordance with the illustratedembodiment. As detailed in FIG. 34, the lachrymatory agent-deployingassembly 210 (or “deployment assembly”) generally comprises alachrymatory agent-containing bottle 211 disposed or nested within aportion of the can stabilizer 212. A servo-actuator 213 is provided,wherein the servo-actuator is configured to be translated upon receivinga wireless signal from the system, such that the contents of the bottleare release through a hose 214 and into the nozzle, wherein a spraypattern is communicated from the nozzle. Upon receiving the wirelesssignal, control voltage can be supplied to power leads 219 fortranslating the servo-actuator. The servo-actuator includes a servo-rod216 coupled to a servo linkage 217, wherein the servo linkage extendsoutwardly to engage a fluid communicator 218 of the lachrymatoryagent-containing bottle. As the servo-actuator translates, theservo-linkage moves with it applying directional pressure to the fluidcommunicator, which in turn releases the lachrymatory agent from thebottle and into the hose where it is further communicated to the nozzle.Generally, the servo-actuator is configured to translate in a verticaldirection, depressing a release valve (fluid communicator) of thebottle, though other embodiments are contemplated herein.

While the bottle is shown oriented in an upright-position in theembodiment of FIG. 34, it is contemplated that the bottle may bealternatively oriented and configured in an upside-down position,wherein the bottle itself is configured to dispense the lachrymatoryagent in the upside-down position.

FIG. 35 shows a section view of a lachrymatory agent-containing bottlein accordance with an embodiment. In this embodiment, the bottle isshown with a plurality of baffles 231 extending vertically within aninner volume of the bottle, each separated by spacers 232. The pluralityof baffles and spacers define layers within the bottle. A fluid conduit233 is shown extending upwardly, wherein liquid 236 within the bottle iscommunicated through the fluid conduit to the fluid communicator. Inthis regard, as the UAV travels in the air, lachrymatory agent iscontained within the baffle-containing bottle as shown, such thatsufficient agent is available for deployment even during and afterrigorous flight activity, for example, evasive maneuvers or aggressiveflight.

FIG. 36 shows a top plan view of a baffle 231 for integration with thelachrymatory agent-containing bottle of FIG. 6. The baffle disc has acenter aperture 234, and a plurality of baffle apertures 235 eachdisposed radially between the center aperture and a periphery of thebaffle.

FIG. 37 shows a schematic of a deployment assembly 210 forimplementation with the UAV in accordance with an alternativeembodiment. Here, a plurality of cannisters (or bottles) may be combinedwith a manifold assembly to provide evenly distributed lachrymatoryagent about multiple sides or portions of the UAV. Here, the manifoldassembly includes a multi-port manifold body 261, with a plurality ofcheck valves 262, each check valve being disposed at one of therespective ports of the manifold. Each check valve is further coupled toa hose 214, and an optional adapter 263. The hose or optional adapter iscoupled to a respective cannister 211. In this regard, fluid or gas fromthe cannister is communicated through the adapter and hose, to the checkvalve and respective port of the manifold. From there, a deploymentvalve 264 is configured to deploy the fluid or gas through a hose to thenozzle 215.

While the embodiment as illustrated in FIG. 37 shows six cannisters, themanifold may comprise between two and twenty cannisters, more preferablybetween two and six cannisters are each positioned symmetrically aroundthe body of the UAV.

FIG. 38 shows a schematic of a deployment assembly 210 forimplementation with the UAV in accordance with yet another embodiment.Here, a housing 271 is provided, with optional bag 272 for containingnoxious gas 276. The gas is hermetically sealed within the housing usingconventional seals, such as O-rings. A piston 273 is used to compressthe noxious gas 276 within the housing at all times. As shown, thepiston is maintained with a bias force due to compressed gas or fluidreceived from source 274, through a first hose 214 a, to the piston 273.Alternatively, the piston can be directly driven by servo-motor (notshown). The fluid or gas for providing bias force at the piston maycomprise carbon dioxide (CO2) gas. Additionally, the compressed noxiousgas 276 is further expelled from the housing, communicated through asecond hose 214 b to a servo-actuated valve 275. The servo-actuatedvalve, the piston, or a combination thereof, may be controlled bywireless signal received form the operator of the UAV. When actuated,the servo-actuated valve controls a flow of the compressed noxious gasthrough nozzle 215 to achieve deployment.

The various aspects and embodiments of the active shooter responsesystem have been described in the context of a mass shooter in a schoolsetting. However, the active shooter response system may be employedalso in other settings such as work settings, law enforcement settings,special events, city streets and any other setting where a person mightattack another person. Moreover, the various aspects and embodiments ofthe active shooter response system is not limited to a firearm setting.However, the system may be employed in relation to knife attacks, firstfights, any attacks with or without a weapon.

The term drone may refer to a fixed wing airplane drone, a quad copter,a multiple propeller copter and any type of unmanned aerial vehicle.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation.Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devisevariations that are within the scope and spirit of the inventiondisclosed herein. Further, the various features of the embodimentsdisclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with eachother and are not intended to be limited to the specific combinationdescribed herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited bythe illustrated embodiments.

1. A system for neutralizing an active shooter, the system comprising: aflying drone having a wireless transmitter; a base station having awireless transmitter, the transmitter of the base station in wirelesscommunication with the wireless transmitter of the flying drone fortransmitting data between the flying drone and the base station; asensor in communication with the wireless transmitter of the flyingdrone for communicating data from the sensor to the base station; anoffensive mechanism attached to the flying drone, the offensivemechanism being activated when the flying drone is sufficiently close tothe active shooter to neutralize the shooter.
 2. The system of claim 1wherein the offensive mechanism is a pepper spray mechanism which isoperative to disperse pepper spray at the active shooter, shockelectrodes, propeller blades, a hardened body, a glass breaker or acombination thereof.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the base stationis operative to control the flying drone.
 4. The system of claim 1wherein the flying drone is capable of flying faster than 50 miles perhour.
 5. The system of claim 3 further comprising a plurality of flyingdrones which are all in wireless communication with the base station,and the base station is operative to transmit information and commandsbetween flying drones to coordinate an attack of the flying dronesagainst an active shooter.
 6. The system of claim 3 wherein the basestation is operable by a human operator and the human operator controlsa first drone from the plurality of drones, and a second drone from theplurality of drones perform a different maneuver compared to the firstdrone.
 7. A drone mount for charging a drone during a ready state, thedrone mount comprising: a support attachable to a surface, the dronebeing supported by the support when the drone is in a ready state andthe drone being detached from the drone when the drone is in an activatestate for responding to a person that needs to be neutralized; a chargerin electrical communication with a power supply for charging the dronewhile in the ready state, the charger positioned so that a correspondingcharger of the drone is aligned to and in contact with the charger ofthe drone mount when the drone is supported by the support. 8.(canceled)
 9. A drone for neutralizing a human exhibiting dangerousbehavior, the drone comprising: a propeller which spins to cause thedrone to fly through the air; a body with the propeller attached to thebody; a processor attached to the body for controlling a flight path ofthe drone; a battery attached to the body and in communication with theprocessor for powering the processor and the propeller; a liquid orpowder repellant or marking agent; a pepper spray cannister attached tothe body, the cannister defining a lower portion and an upper portion,the upper portion of the canister being attached to the body of thedrone, the lower portion of the canister having frangible lines, thecannister defining an interior cavity with the agent contained in theinterior cavity; a flammable paste within the container; an explosivematerial disposed within the container and the flammable paste being incontact with the explosive material; an igniter disposed within theflammable paste and in electrical communication with the battery so thatenergy from the battery is operative to selectively ignite the igniterto start a fire with the flammable paste.
 10. A method of neutralizing aperson, the method comprising the steps of: traversing a drone in closeproximity to the person so that the person can see or hear the drone;sensing an activity of the person with a sensor on the drone or mountedon a ground or building; transmitting data from the sensor back to abase station to process the data; transmitting an instruction to thedrone from the base station to activate an offensive mechanism of thedrone against the person; traversing the drone to follow the instructionsent by the base station.
 11. The method of claim 10 further comprisingthe step of transmitting instructions to the drone to fly 8 feet orhigher above ground level so that any projectiles being shot at thedrone will not directly hit any other bystanders.
 12. The method ofclaim 10 further comprising the step of transmitting instructions to thedrone to fly in a square, circular, oblong, zig-zag, front to back, sideto side, diagonal pattern or combinations thereof about the person to beneutralized.
 13. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step ofdeactivating an anti crash sensor of the drone and transmittinginstructions to the drone to fly into the person to be neutralized at aspeed greater than 40 miles per hour.
 14. The method of claim 10 furthercomprising the step of deactivating an anti crash sensor of the droneand transmitting instructions to the drone to fly into a glass window ata rate so that a glass breaking tip mounted to an upper side of thedrone is optimally positioned to break the glass when the drone isrammed into the glass.
 15. The method of claim 10 further comprising thestep of transmitting instructions to the drone to fly directly towardthe person to be neutralized then to fly upward and away from the personto be neutralized so that the flight path when the drone flies upwardand away is aligned to the person to be neutralize, and to release adeterring agent attached to the bottom side of the drone when the flightpath is aligned to the person to be neutralized.
 16. The method of claim10 further comprising the steps of: traversing first and second dronestoward the person that needs to be neutralized; transmittinginstructions from the base station to the first drone to point a sensorof the first drone toward the person to be neutralized; transmittingdata from the sensor of the first drone from the first drone to the basestation; transmitting instructions from the base station to the seconddrone to activate an offensive mechanism of the second drone against theperson to be neutralized based on the data sent from the first drone tothe base station.
 17. The method of claim 16 wherein the sensor of thefirst drone is a camera with a field of view of the camera pointedtoward the person to be neutralized.
 18. The method of claim 16 whereinthe traversing the first drone toward the person includes the step oftraversing the first drone to hover over the person.
 19. The method ofclaim 10 further comprising the steps of: detecting a feature of an areawith a camera; recognizing the feature of the area within atopographical map stored in a computer; defining a location of the droneupon matching the visualized feature from the camera and the storedfeature in the computer.
 20. The method of claim 19 further comprisingthe steps of: transmitting data regarding the feature to the basestation; performing the recognizing step at the base station;transmitting location data based on the transmitting data step and theperforming step back to the drone.